1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure that connects a strut bar applied to reinforce lateral rigidity of an engine room of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a structure that connects a strut bar for a vehicle, in which a connecting bar connects a first strut bar and a second strut bar, thereby increasing lateral rigidity of a vehicle body, diversifying load paths during a collision, and tuning, by using a shape of a slot, a degree to which the dash panel is pushed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, various components are mounted within a vehicle by various methods to increase rigidity of a vehicle body. Among the components, a strut bar for a vehicle is widely utilized as a component installed within an engine room to support the vehicle body. The strut bar serves to support impact that occurs from the outside when the vehicle travels, increase stability of the vehicle body when the vehicle turns, and inhibit the engine room from being pushed into a driver seat during a vehicle collision. In a typical passenger vehicle manufactured by mass production, a plurality of strut bars is mounted in the engine room to support vehicle body members, which constitute the engine room, for the tuning purpose of improving rigidity of the vehicle body.
FIG. 1A is a view illustrating a structure for connecting a strut bar for a vehicle according to the related art, and FIG. 1B is a view illustrating the structure for connecting a strut bar for a vehicle according to the related art when lateral force is generated. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the structure that connects a strut bar for a vehicle in the related art includes a pair of strut bars 3, each of which has one end connected to a dash panel 1 and the other end coupled to a strut housing 2.
In particular, the strut bar 3 is disposed to have a predetermined angle a with respect to front and rear directions of the vehicle, and it is advantageous to reduce the angle a in terms of an impact load path to support a rearward movement of a strut housing. However, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, when the angle a of the strut bar is reduced (e.g., the angle a of the strut bar is reduced to about 45 degrees or less) when lateral force of the vehicle occurs (e.g., during a broadside collision), the strut bar 3 rotates as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 1B, and as a result, performance in supporting left and right rigidity deteriorates in terms of lateral rigidity of the engine room.
FIG. 2A is a view illustrating a structure that connects a strut bar for a vehicle according to the related art, and FIG. 2B is a view illustrating the structure that connects a strut bar for a vehicle according to the related art during a head-on collision of the vehicle. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the structure for connecting a strut bar for a vehicle according to the related art includes a first strut bar 4 which has one end coupled to a dash panel 1 and the other end coupled to a strut housing 2, and a second strut bar 4′ which has one end connected to the dash panel 1 and the other end coupled to the first strut bar 4.
In another exemplary embodiment, the second strut bar 4′ is additionally installed, to further increase the angle a of the first strut bar 4 with respect to the front and rear direction of the vehicle to be greater than the angle in the aforementioned exemplary embodiment, thereby reinforcing lateral rigidity. However, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, the structure according to another exemplary embodiment has problems in that an angle b between the first strut bar 4 and the second strut bar 4′ is increased during a head-on collision of a vehicle, and as a result, impact supporting force deteriorates, and a deformation amount of a dash panel is increased.
The above information disclosed in this section is merely for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention, and therefore it should not be understood that the above information is regarded as being the prior art that has been already known to those skilled in the art.